the home of North Finchley Allotment Society

Monthly Archives: February 2017

Spring is springing and Peter (Simpson) and Tom (McGovern) have been doing loads of work on the site recently – clearing wild growth overhanging paths, clearing plots that have been previously unworkable, felling trees, etc.

If anyone has an hour or two to spare at any time to help, please get in touch with Peter and/or Tom via at the Trading Hut and offer. Even some help picking up rubbish and glass from an empty plot would be much appreciated.

Also, if anyone can help to transport some rubbish round to the recycling centre in a few weeks’ time, that would also be much appreciated.

… and soon we will all start getting busy on our plots it is very important that we start thinking about what we can do to save water over the coming season – when water shortages are forecast – and hopefully stop our water bills creeping up, as they have been doing every year. Jane, our treasurer, has kindly supplied these useful tips.

‘Harvest’ Rainwater

Whether you cultivate organically or not rainwater is much better for your crops than tap water, with the additional bonus that is free!

The annoying thing about our rainfall is that most of it falls in the winter, when we don’t need it for our crops. So, plan ahead and collect as much as possible in the rainy winter months to help you through the drier summer ones.

If you have any sort of structure on your plot (shed or greenhouse) then please make sure you have guttering in place and at least one water butt to collect the rainwater. Your systems need not be complicated but we all need to make an effort to reduce our water bills. Not everyone has a shed or greenhouse, of course, but here are some other things you can do to help conserve water:

Water in the right way at the right time

If you do decide to water your allotment, the best time of day is during the cool of the morning or evening. Water the roots of the plant and concentrate the watering to once or twice a week, as opposed to giving your plants frequent light showers, otherwise you’ll encourage the roots of the plant to seek water near the surface of the soil, as opposed to deep down in the earth.

Use Manure and Mulches

There is something that all gardeners can do to help prepare themselves for drought conditions and hosepipe bans and that is to ensure that your soil is fertile and contains plenty of organic material, which will help it to retain moisture. The condition of your soil is of paramount importance to your crops, and the easiest way of ensuring your plants have a good start in life is by ensuring that the four main growing chemicals needed – calcium, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous, are present in your soil. You can check this by buying a good quality soil testing kit form the garden centre but as a rule of thumb, add back into the soil whatever was taken out by the last crop grown. One of the quickest ways of adding these nutrients is through the addition of farmyard manure (well-rotted over a twelve month period), green manure (crops high in nitrogen, grown specifically to be dug into the soil e.g. clover) and good quality homemade compost (garden and food waste, not cooked meat, well-rotted and turned over a twelve month- two year period). Not only will these products improve the quality of the soil, but also the soil’s ability to retain moisture, meaning you won’t need to water your plants so frequently (and in some cases not at all). Dig the manure into the soil during a dormant period – end of summer or early spring are ideal times.

Ensuring that your soil is always covered with a layer of mulch will help to retain moisture and suppress weeds; the mulch could be garden compost, composted manure, leaf- mould or a geo-textile etc.

Plant out with care

When planting out your young plants it is always recommended that you water the hole or trench very well, before putting in your seedlings. This means the root system of your young plant will have instant access to water, also encouraging them to grow downwards to seek new water supplies, as opposed to waiting for you to come along with a watering can. Once the plant is well established, reduce or cease watering all together depending on the plant.

Choose good plants for dry conditions

When choosing plants for your allotment it is a good idea to go for those that originate in a hot climate and so have evolved not needing very much water, or ones where the edible part of the plant grows below the soil – meaning its roots (and the crops) all benefit from deep water.

For example –

Carrots – never water , it will lower the yield

Potatoes – water only when the flowers have just opened, but otherwise there should be enough moisture in the soil to sustain the plants

Parsnips – watering doesn’t benefit the crop

Jerusalem artichoke – never water, otherwise you encourage the formation of leaves and not tubers

Rosemary and Thyme – woody herbs which can withstand dry seasons

Beetroot – don’t over water as this will increase leaf size not root size, but don’t allow the soil to dry out completely

Brussels sprouts – established plants will only require watering during exceptionally dry weather

Kohlrabi – the root system of this is plant is well developed for sourcing water and so can withstand very dry seasons

Onions – after the plant has been established, they require little watering and never after mid-July as this will delay ripening

There are some plants which require a lot of watering during a drought. Therefore it is best to avoid the following – celery, courgettes, marrows, pumpkins, squash, rhubarb and spinach.